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Officer’s shooter used .44 to kill self

The man suspected of shooting and wounding a Montrose County sheriff’s deputy early Monday near Crawford, then turning the gun on himself, used a .44-caliber revolver, according to a preliminary coroner’s report released Wednesday.

Kent Calhoun, 52, died from a single self-inflicted gunshot to the chest, the coroner said. Calhoun was found dead in his home at 81301 E-81 Road Monday morning after law enforcement agencies raided the house.

Hours before the raid, Calhoun shot Montrose County sheriff’s deputy Cory Larsen twice when he showed up with a field training deputy at Calhoun’s door following a report of a domestic violence incident at the home.

One of the bullets hit Larsen in his protective vest, the other struck him in the abdomen, police said.

He was flown to St. Mary’s Hospital for surgery and was released from the hospital the next day.

He is expected to make a full recovery.

Calhoun was a ditch rider with the Fruitland Irrigation Co., which owns the property where the incident occurred.

A company official said Calhoun had recently been fired and faced a 30-day period to vacate the property after he lost his driver’s license following an alcohol-related traffic offense last year.

The coroner is awaiting toxicology report to determine whether there were any drugs or alcohol in Calhoun’s system.